Apply today for an opportunity to master valuable Data Science skills with a Udacity scholarship from Bertelsmann!

Lifelong learners across the globe interested in pursuing careers in Data Science have a fantastic new opportunity to achieve their dreams. Today, Bertelsmann formally announced 15,000 new Data Science scholarships for study with Udacity. Following on the 60,000 scholarships announced by Udacity and Google in September 2017, this brings to 75,000 the total number of scholarships offered through the partnership of Bertelsmann, Google, and Udacity.

The partnership is a natural one—Bertelsmann wants to see great data talent entering the workforce, and is committed to promoting data literacy at a global level. Udacity offers a wide array of data-centric learning opportunities, and is committed to ensuring that every single learner who wants to can equip themselves with the valuable data skills that are critical for success in today’s digital economy.

“Bertelsmann is becoming more and more digital, so promoting digital skills is one of our top priorities. Data Science is particularly important for many of our digital businesses, and we are very pleased to be offering 15,000 scholarships. Together with our partners Google and Udacity, we are thus attempting to counter the shortage of specialists in the technology sector.” —Thomas Rabe, Bertelsmann Chairman & CEO

How It Works

Anyone 18 years of age or older is invited to apply. We will review every application, and then select 15,000 deserving recipients to participate in a Scholarship Challenge Course. This is the initial stage of your learning journey, and the first step toward your future in data! You’ll spend 3 months in an Intro to Descriptive Statistics course, mastering skills critical for success in the fields of Data Science, Economics, Machine Learning, or Business Analytics. Top students from the initial Challenge Course will then be selected for a full Nanodegree program.

Your Challenge Course

In your Challenge Course, you’ll learn basic concepts used to describe data, explore data, use statistical research methods, compute simple probabilities, visualize data, and make predictions with data. You’ll be able to work at your own pace, provided you complete your studies by the 3-month deadline. We estimate that working 5-10 hours per week will allow you to successfully complete the course on time.

As a student in the Challenge Course, you will receive support from expert Udacity mentors and community managers, and become part of a dynamic and supportive student community.

Your Nanodegree Program

If you earn one of the 1,500 full Nanodegree program scholarships, you’ll be enrolled in one of the following three Nanodegree programs:

Data Foundations Nanodegree ProgramThis is the perfect point-of-entry into the world of data, and a critical step toward building the skills necessary for launching a successful data career. You’ll learn the basics of manipulating, analyzing, and visualizing data.

Business Analyst Nanodegree ProgramFor the data-focused learner eager to build a data career that doesn’t require supplemental programming skills, this program represents an excellent opportunity to learn to analyze data, create dashboards, and build predictive models.

Data Analyst Nanodegree ProgramIf you’re eager to add programming to your data skills, this is the ideal way to prepare for a data science career. You’ll learn to use Python, R, SQL, and Tableau to uncover insights, communicate critical findings, and create data-driven solutions.

As a student enrolled in a Nanodegree program, you’ll benefit from expert project reviews, personalized mentorship, and valuable community support.

How to Apply

Whether you’re a beginner new to data, or already have some experience, the application process is the same for all applicants. All that’s required is a passion for expanding your Data Science capabilities, and a commitment to working hard to achieve your goals. You are encouraged to answer what you can, to the best of your ability. Our expert reviewers will do the rest!

Here are the important dates:

Applications Due: April 22, 2018

Recipients Notified: May 02, 2018

Recipients Begin: May 08, 2018

Going Beyond the Numbers

A Data Science career is about so much more than numbers, and the world of data has truly never been more exciting! There is virtually no industry that is not being positively impacted by Data Science, and as someone who will enter this world equipped with the most valuable, and most in-demand skills, you will be uniquely prepared to land a rewarding job, and begin making important contributions to any organization, in any field.

Bertelsmann at a Glance

Bertelsmann is a media, services and education company that operates in about 50 countries around the world. The company has 116,000 employees and generated revenues of €17.0 billion in the 2016 financial year.

Leah Wiedenmann

Leah Wiedenmann manages PR & Communications for Udacity in Europe. Leah has experience in education, tech, and non-profit work, and has learned that there's nothing more powerful than a good story well told.

Hi everyone,
Today I have heard about the fantastic opportunity to apply for a bertelsmann/udacity scholarship programme for data science. However, although there should be a couple hours left to submit today (April, 22nd, 21:00), I got the message that the deadline has passed. That confuses me a bit, because on one hand the countdown is still running but after I pushed the apply button I got the message that the deadline has passed. I would love to apply for this amazing opportunity and ask you for help. Maybe an error occurred. Thanks for your support and help, I am looking forward to get a chance to apply 🙂
Thanks a lot

Experiencing the same issue here: the deadline has not passed yet and the countdown is still running, However, the application to this scholarship is closed.
This is an unique opportunity and I would love to join – thank you for your help and support in this issue 🙂

I am facing the same issue as Joanna. I have started my application for this great opportunity a couple of days ago and after talking to some udacity alumni I wanted to upload my motivational letter this afternoon (CET) still seeing the countdown. When trying to finish my application I got an error message saying that the deadline has passed. Is there any chance of completing my application before the initial deadline or was the deadline just confusingly communicated? I would really love to participate in this program hence would love to hear back from the team.